Officials in Qatar on Wednesday unveiled the design for the fifth stadium to host matches during the football World Cup in 2022.
The 40,000-seater Al-Rayyan Stadium will host matches up until the quarter-final stage of the competition in seven years’ time.
The stadium is expected to be completed three years before the tournament begins, CTVnews website reported.
The stadium, which is “focused on Qatari tradition,” is the latest to be rebuilt or revamped as the country prepares for 2022.
It will include cooling technology, to help with the fierce temperatures even in winter, and the capacity will be reduced to 21,000 after the tournament with the upper tier of seats being sent to developing nations.
Officials added that stadium construction would comply with workers’ welfare standards.
A final decision will be taken later this year on how many stadiums Qatar will use for the tournament, which is uniquely taking place in the months of November and December, following a decision by FIFA. As few as eight stadiums might be used for the first World Cup ever to be held in the Middle East.
Fresh Criticism
Earlier this year, it was announced that renowned British architects Foster and Partners would design the stadium. The 80,000-seater stadium will be built in the purpose-built city of Lusail, some 15 km north of Doha.
Qatar is expected to receive fresh criticism over its controversial and successful World Cup bid over the next few days.
A new book, ‘The Ugly Game’, detailing allegations of corruption against Qatar’s bid was set for release on Thursday.
Also, the parliamentary assembly of the Council of Europe met on Thursday to urge FIFA to run a re-vote on who should the host the tournament in 2022. However, FIFA rejected the call and said it has “no legal obligation for FIFA’s executive committee to revoke” the decision.
